


Kisses are free

by DaddyFuckinLongLegs



Category: Fallout 4
Genre: (no. 8), Daddy Kink, F/M, I had to up the rating, Multi, some "Dogmeat being a good boy", some "Jesus MacCready that's a hell of a kink you got there", some "Nate being a parent", some "Piper being a big sister", some "oh boy Nate's getting around a bit", some fluff (but I don't write fluff remember), some smut
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-06-24
Updated: 2020-02-17
Packaged: 2020-05-19 02:58:50
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 15,782
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19348132
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/DaddyFuckinLongLegs/pseuds/DaddyFuckinLongLegs
Summary: There's a kiss prompt/ask/thing going about on tumblr at the minute, so I'm filling them all. One prompt per chapter. Relationships will be in chapter titles, and I've rated them on a scale of Safe, Sexy or Smut. So you know what you're getting. Not everything I write has to be sex. Right?Let me know what you like, let me know if you've got requests.





	1. Good Morning - Piper/Nate - Sexy

"Hey, Piper."

She sighed to life, flinching slightly as his hand touched her shoulder and flicking open her eyes.  
"Jesus, Blue, what time is it?"  
"Sun's just come up, I thought we'd get an early start."  
She groaned loudly and rolled away, tucked her face firmly into the pillow, her arms curled protectively behind her head. She muttered something, her voice muffled.  
“I can't hear you.” Nate squatted down beside her, and she raised her head awkwardly, glaring at him.  
"I said _,_ what _is it_ with you and mornings?"

She let her head fall heavily back into the pillow, and Nate slid his fingers into the tangle of her dark hair, circling his thumb softly at the base of her skull. She let her hands fall away from her head and made a satisfied little grunt; he sat down leaning one elbow on his knee, swept her hair up in a messy handful and laid it gently to one side, softly chasing a stray curl down her jaw.  
“Nope, still can't hear you. Gonna have to sit up and tell me.”  
She rolled huffily to her side, away from him, eyes still half closed, and raised her voice.  
“I said, fuck you and your “circadian rhythms”, Blue.” She yawned, and mumbled, “I'm still sleepy.”  
He squeezed her shoulder lightly and rolled her onto her back, her arms lolling heavily over her face. He smiled. This toy argument was one of his favourite things about her; something so simple and human and care-free as being sleepy – not exhausted, or weary, just soft, simple, five-more-minutes. He missed that - lying in on a Sunday, clean sheets, breakfast in bed and the warmth of someone not quite awake beside him. Piper brought all of that with her, in moments like this.  
  
He leaned in quietly next to her face, her eyes still covered by her arms, the pale stretch of skin inside her wrist and forearm turned out to the fresh sunlight like a glass of milk. He laid his hand flat on her belly, and kissed her. Her mouth responded slowly, her lips still and soft for a moment, then they parted, drawing him in with the smooth muscles of her jaw and slinging her arm lazily behind his head. His tongue moved gently against hers, and she sighed into his mouth and pulled him closer, her fingers curling tight under the collar of his shirt. He pulled back, sitting up, and she groaned drowsily in complaint, eyes still closed, grabbing the air with her hands - _gimme_ \- like a child;  
“Mm-mm, c'mere. Wake me up.”

Nate rolled slowly and stretched out over her, parting her knees and settling his hips carefully between her thighs. She wriggled down a step, bumping gently against his body, and wrapped her hand around his bicep, feeling the thin, taut muscle under her fingers as he braced his forearm against the floor. He traced his hand down her side, kissing softly along her jaw and down her neck, and pushed his hips up to meet her, pressing his weight gently between her legs. She hummed happily and arched her fingers in his hair, holding him tight against her neck as his mouth moved softly across her collarbone, breathing slowly, evenly, against his quickening heartbeat.  
  
She tugged gently at the hair behind his ear, swept her fingers hard over the back of his neck, nails catching lightly on his skin, and his weight shifted; he pulled his hips away slightly, but not before she'd felt the swell of the bump in his pants. She giggled, running her hand over the front of his jeans, opening her eyes wide, a mischievous smile playing on her lips. He grinned and caught his bottom lip with his teeth, pressing harder against her hand as she unbuttoned his fly. She wormed her way under the elastic of his underwear; he made a little whistling noise through his teeth as she grasped his bare skin, and he squeezed her waist hard. She tightened her grip, felt the blood rushing beneath her fingertips, his muscles tensing, and she wrapped one ankle behind his knee and pulled his head down close to her mouth.

He arched up, sliding the thin sheet away from her body, and she shivered as her skin responded to the cool morning; her nipples hardened and he swept his thumb softly back and forth across one, cupped the firm point in the palm of his hand. His hand was rough and warm like sand, and she shivered, humming in her throat and lifting her hips as he slid her panties down her thighs, skimming over her hip bones with his fingers, dragging his open mouth across the soft, exposed skin below her belly. He wrapped one arm up under her thigh, shoulder pressed against the join of her hips, and smiled up at her, satisfied.  
“G'morning, baby.”

 


	2. Goodnight - Nate and Shaun being a family - Safe

“Hey dad?”  
  
Shaun looked up at Nate, big brown eyes blinking heavily in the twilight.  
“Yeah?”  
“You think the other kids’re gonna like me?”  
Nate sighed, smiling, and pulled the bedsheets up over their shoulders, laying his arm comfortingly around Shaun’s middle.   
“Sure they are, buddy. You run fast, you tell good jokes, you’re a whizz with a toolkit; what’s not to like?”  
Shaun stared silently, lost in thought, his hands one on top of the other, over Nate’s, holding Nate’s thumb in his soft palm and picking gently at the nail. Nate wriggled his fingers, and Shaun giggled and curled into the pillow.  
  
“What’re you worried for?” Nate tilted his head, mirroring the kid’s body language. “You think you’re gonna be a smarty pants or something, leave the class behind? Or tell the other kids what to do all the time? Or, even worse, think you’re gonna be real handsome and have to deal with…”   
He pulled a grotesque face, “…girls?!”  
  
Shaun laughed through his nose, then shook his head, looking thoughtfully at Nate.  
“What if… What if they find out about where I’m from?”  
Nate squeezed Shaun close to him, the little boy’s head warm under his chin.  
“Ah, buddy you don’t have to worry about that now. Everyone’s from somewhere. And you’re… from here. Sanctuary Hills. Right?” He raised his eyebrows.  
“And anyway, look at Nick; they like him just fine, don’t they? And Curie?”  
Shaun looked serious. “Myrna doesn’t.”  
  
Nate laughed. “Mmm. Myrna, well, she’s a little… screwy, some would say. I’ll let you in on a secret…”  
Shaun opened his eyes wide, eyebrows raised, and his lips parted in a gasp of anticipation. Nate leaned close, brushing the boy’s hair away from his ear, and whispering;  
“Myrna eats bloatfly butts for breakfast.”  
Shaun exploded with laughter, his eyes creased shut and hands curled around his belly. Nate clamped his lips shut, trying not to smile.  
“And another thing, shh, shh, listen. Another thing;” still whispering, “Myrna’s secretly a mirelurk.”  
Shaun snorted with laughter again, Nate held his finger to his lips. “Shhh, no, really! Listen, listen… S'why she’s so crabby all the time.”  
Shaun flopped over onto his back, kicking his small, bare feet, tears of laughter rolling down his cheeks. Nate let him laugh for a minute, then laid his hand softly on the boy’s cheek.  
  
“Don’t let her frighten you. Really. The other kids will like you just fine. And besides, you won’t be the new kid for long. When Uncle Mac gets back-”  
“With Duncan?!” Shaun interjected, excitedly.  
“- with Duncan, yeah,” Nate nodded, “they’ll forget you were ever new. Anyway, Nat will look out for you, she’s tough as hell, she even punched a kid once. And she pinky promised Piper.”  
“Do  _you_ pinky promise?” Shaun pouted, eyes narrowing worriedly.  
Nate rolled his eyes dramatically, and held out his fist, little finger raised. Shaun hooked his pinky around Nate’s, and shook firmly. He nodded.  
“Thanks dad.”  
Nate smiled, wrapping the kid in his arms again, and kissed him softly on the forehead. Shaun’s small shoulders relaxed contentedly, and he put his hands on Nate’s arm, shuffling and fidgeting to get comfortable.  
  
“G'night dad.”  
  
“G'night little man.”


	3. Goodbye - Nate/Nora - Sexy

Nora chewed the candy-stripe straw in her Nuka Cola, paper flattening to wet mulch between her teeth. She'd been watching him out of the corner of her eye, and he certainly sucked at bowling, but boy, what a looker; tall, dark haired, cheekbones you could slice your finger on, and that cute upturned flick at the end of his nose. She crossed her knees and wriggled in her seat. Yes sir, she'd like to see that face between her thighs later. She watched him sipping his beer, hand in his back pocket, cheering goofily and almost throwing the bottle in celebration as his teammate hit a strike. He turned to put the bottle down, briefly catching her eye and flashing her a smile and a wink, then span back to his friends. _Oh, good god damn_. She blushed and picked the straw from her drink, dropping it on the table and turning back to her friend.  
  
"Whatcha lookin' at?" Nora's friend gestured behind her, and Nora smiled.  
"I'm trying to decide whether I should sit pretty, or if it's worth trying to talk to that guy." She flicked her eyes in his direction, subtly, she hoped.  
"Who, Jack, or the Beanstalk?"  
" _Carol,_ "She shot her friend a withering look, and they giggled. Carol nodded, knowingly, loudly chewing her gum.  
"I might'a known. Always with the tall ones, Nora, I swear. You wanna be a pilot? Got a thing for high altitudes?”  
Nora laughed through her nose, and added, “I sure wouldn't mind letting him take me for a ride.”  
“Me, I prefer the blonde," Carol nodded again, "but I _think_ he knows my cousin."  
They looked each other in the eye, both thinking the same thing, and laughed.  
"C'mon then, before they get too drunk to shoot straight."  
  
Neither girl was shy, exactly, but Nora played sensible foil to Carol's exaggerated, wide eyed fawning. Turns out Blonde did know her cousin, but not nearly as intimately as she'd worried, and the two hit it off right away. Nora sat beside them, chatting idly about baseball and law school with the five other boys until the game was through. By then, she'd got it bad for the tall one. His quiet confidence, his dry, outlandish comments, that little smile he kept doing, where it wrinkled his nose at one side... Nathan, his name was. _Nate_ to his friends. _Nads_ on his score sheet, next to a crude little drawing of some over-sized testicles, which he desperately tried to hide as she snatched it off the table, laughing. His cheeks reddened and he shrugged, smiling that little half smile and slouching into a chair with his beer. Nora sat down next to him, handing him the card with a smile. He screwed it up into his pocket.  
“Don't believe everything you hear. Or see.” He gestured at his pocket, beer in hand.  
“I'm sure I don't know what you mean.” Nora sipped her drink innocently, pulling out a cigarette from her purse. He tugged a lighter from his pocket and offered it out to her.  
  
The others began to filter out, Carol and Blonde were all but about to make out right where they were, all big eyes and fluttering lashes, and Nora stood up, looking at her fingernails, quickly trying to figure out how to ask, how to get _him_ to ask, and make her life a whole lot easier... she looked at Nate, poised to ask something, something innocent sounding that could angle into-  
"Can I walk you home?" He leaned towards her, hands on his knees.  
Nora smiled, surprised, her stomach filled with butterflies, and tilted her head.  
"Who said I'm ready to go home?"  
Nate grinned, and stood up beside her, her heart leaped a little at just how damned tall he was.  
“Then can I walk you somewhere?”  
  
Almost two hours later, on campus, they paused underneath a broken streetlight by her dorm. Nate stopped walking abruptly, looked at her admiringly in the dim light, and she stepped back towards him, laughing. He caught her hand, slid his arm around her waist, and she let out a little sigh and wrapped her arm around his neck as he pulled her tight to him. She could almost taste the beer on his breath, and she pulled back as he tried to kiss her. He leaned back, stunned, letting go of her waist, eyes wide.  
“Something wrong?”  
“Brush your teeth first, huh Romeo?” She teased him, and he laughed and swept his hand through his hair.  
“Sorry.”  
  
She sighed, looking at his mouth, pink and firm against his pale skin, and reconsidered. She shook her head, curls bobbing lightly against the side of her face, and pulled him close to her, letting him steal the kiss. He dipped his head, smiling, and caught her mouth with his, pressing warmly into her and letting his tongue roll gently against hers. She swirled her tongue and pressed her hand to his shoulder, and his hand rested eagerly at the small of her back, tracing the top of her skirt with his fingers. She shivered and hooked her hand into his waistband, drawing a startled huff from his open mouth.  
“Listen,” she said, almost whispering, “I'd love to... see where this ends up, but I can't take you to my place. Do you...”  
He grimaced, sighing through his nose.  
“No, not tonight. But if you wanted, I'm staying out in th- in my cousin's trailer next weekend. With the guys. If you wanted, you could... I could pick you up?”  
She looked up at him; even in the dimness his eyes were beautiful, watery blue, and she couldn't stop the warm wash of air that rushed from her mouth  
“With _all_ those guys? I mean, what would my mother think of me?”  
Nate laughed, squeezing her ass and pulling her against him.  
“What would she think of you now?”  
She whispered in his ear. “She'd think I was some kind of hussy. Maybe I am. What do you think?”  
He trailed the back of his hand down the collar of her blouse, toying with the buttons.  
“I'm sure I don't know what you mean.”  
“Oh, very good.” She smiled, his hand slipping inside her shirt. “Very good.”  
  
“What d'you say then?” He looked at her eyes, felt her heart racing in her chest as his fingers explored along the top of her bra cup, warm skin underneath calling out to him. He did his best to keep it cool, teasing, not too much, out here in the street. “You wanna come along?”  
She nodded.  
“Though I probably ought to get to know you first.”  
“Mmm.” He hummed quietly, letting one knuckle brush over her nipple, feeling her respond quickly, and moving his hand away. “I could pick you up tomorrow night. We could go for a drive. See a movie.”  
Her stomach leapt at the thought; in his car, no one else around, leather seats hot under their bodies; or in the movie theatre, the room dark, secret, the scent of popcorn and the warmth of his hands on her...  
“Sure.” she sighed, “It's a date. How does 7 sound?”  
“Perfect.” He kissed her, lightly, sealing the deal, brushing his hand up her neck, along her chin, then stepped back, letting go of her waist and turning slowly to walk away.  
“I'll meet you here then?” She called, and he nodded, pressed his fingers to his mouth and blew her a kiss. She mimed catching it and he winked.  
“G'bye, Nora. See you tomorrow.”  
  
  


 


	4. Where It Hurts - Piper and Nat talk it out - Safe

Piper sighed to herself as she dipped her hands into the hot bowl, soaking a rag in purified water and wringing it out. She splashed some vodka into the cloth and dabbed gently at the grazed skin of Nat's chin.  
  
"Ow!" Nat recoiled, "That hurts like a bitch!"  
" _Nat._ "  
"Well, it does! What 'm I s'posed tosay?"  
Piper tilted her head, eyebrows raised, pausing.  
"Supposed to say? You're supposed to say "Excuse me, Mr Pembroke, could you help get my ball back from your roof" instead of just climbing up there yourself and skinning your knees and elbows trying to fish it down. How many _times,_ Nat. Just ask for help."  
Nat rolled her eyes and fidgeted, swinging her feet off the counter.  
"No way! I can take care of myself."  
"Mmhmm, I can tell. You're doing a great job." Piper couldn't help the sarcasm.  
"I'm not a kid, Piper. Anyway it would have been fine if Sheng didn-"  
"Not a kid, huh?"  
Piper stepped back, dropping the rag to the counter top and kissing just above the the small graze, tucking Nat's hair behind her ears.  
"Let's see, goes to school, sleeps with a stuffed toy, goofy haircut; sure look like a kid to me."  
"Nu-uh," She stuck her tongue out, "you're the one with the goofball haircut. And the stupid hat."  
"See what I mean?" Piper said, sticking her tongue out in return.  
"Oh yeah?" Nat huffed, "If I'm such a kid, why'd you run off with that new guy and leave me in charge of the paper."  
  
Piper's face dropped, her heart plummeting through her chest. "I... Wow, Nat, that was... I didn't run..."  
Nat dropped from the counter top and flung herself heavily on the couch, her back to Piper, tears prickling behind her eyelids.  
"Yeah you did. Just 'cause you're back now doesn't mean it's not true."  
  
Piper stood quietly, her hands reaching up after her sister, and then burying sheepishly in her pockets. She looked at the floor, then stepped over and sat down slowly, next to Nat. Nat pulled her knees up to her chest, wrapping her arms around her shins and resting her grazed chin on her scabbing knees. She wiped her eyes hard with the back of her hand.  
"You promised you'd never leave me, especially not for a _boy_."  
"Oh, Nat," Piper threw her arms around the girl's shoulders, hugging her close even as Nat's shoulders stiffened. "Come on, you know I'm not _leaving_ you. I just... needed to find out about him. His story, I mean."  
She sat up, and the two looked at each other.  
"Y'know, the institute took his kid, Nat. That's scary, and awful and... I just wanted to help him."  
Nat pouted. "You just wanted to _kiss_ him."  
" _Nat,_ you know that's not tru-"  
"Sheng says he saw you. Round the dark corner by Nicky's house."  
  
Piper looked stunned, her cheeks flushed hot and her mouth agape.  
"Okay. Okay, wow. First thing first, Sheng Kawolski is a little creep who shouldn't be out that late. And I thought you didn't like him anyway.” She shook her head. “Secondly, "that guy" has a name, and you know it, so quit being a jerk because you're mad at him. Third,"  
She paused, searching for the words.  
"He's... lonely. And you... you get a special kind of lonely when you're an adult. Like all the people around you can just see how hard things are for you, and no one wants to be near you in case they catch your loneliness. Remember how it felt when we first came here?"  
Nat nodded, her eyes downcast.  
"Yeah, well that's where he's at. Only worse. Because we've got each other, don't we?"  
Piper nudged Nat's shoulder, and she nodded again, wrapping her arms around Piper's middle and resting her head against her arm.  
Piper continued.  
"He didn't have anyone, in the whole world. And now he's got Nicky and me. But... he's good at sharing. And I'd never, _never,_ hitch up with anyone over you. You're my partner in crime, remember? Besides, who'd keep sticking it to McDonough while I'm gone? Who'd keep the press running? Who'd eat all the bubblegum and put it back in the pack for me?"  
  
Nat frowned to keep from smiling, and shuffled her feet.  
"I guess. I missed you, Piper. You were gone for _ever._ "  
Piper nodded. "I know it felt like that. I'll be quicker next time. I promise.”  
She took Nat's hand in hers. “What about you, y'think you'll give him a chance?”  
Nat sighed, nodding, then looked up accusingly at Piper.  
“No more kissing him though.”  
“Why, you jealous?” Piper teased a smile from Nat's small, stern mouth.  
“Ewww, no. Kissing's gross.”  
“Oh yeah?”  
  
Piper lunged for Nat, clasping her firmly to her chest and making smooching noises as she kissed the top of her head. Nat laughed and yelled in disgust, and the two collapsed on the sofa, Piper planting a hundred tiny kisses across Nat's face and knees and elbows as she wriggled and kicked her away, knocking her hat to the floor and upending the side table. They grinned at each other, and Piper stood up to right the furniture. Nat sprawled out on the couch, knees hanging lazily over the edge, looking at the ceiling. She took a deep breath.  
  
“Sheng says he saw the guy put his tongue in your mouth, and that you only do that when you're in love with someone or wanna make a baby.”  
  
Piper snorted, laughing through her nose as she pushed the table back into place.  
  
“A little inside information for you Nat, since y'know, you're not a kid anymore: Sheng Kawolski is full of shit.”  
  


 


	5. Where It Doesn't Hurt - MacCready/Nate - Sexy-ish? (but gory)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you want the smutty follow up to this, go [here](https://archiveofourown.org/works/19731526?)

"Here! MacCready! _Here_!"  
  
Nate yelled and pulled the pin, tossing the grenade, ducking behind the wall and closing his eyes against the smoke. MacCready scrambled towards him, boots scrabbling in the gravel as he lurched headlong behind an overturned car. The explosion shook the concrete, shrapnel and fragments of sidewalk scattering around them, and the mutant screamed and fell to the floor, one leg in raw, red tatters beneath it. MacCready swung himself up, peering out above the driver's door, aiming carefully, breath held tight in his chest, and put the thing out of it's misery. Another blast, this time from beside them, Nate rolled out from his cover and sprayed the new mutant with a hail of .45s, new rounds skidding between his fingers as he tried to reload before -  
"Ahhh _fuck_! I'm hit!"  
  
MacCready stumbled backwards, landing ass first on the tarmac, clutching his ribs, blood bubbling between his fingers. Nate heard another rifle discharge, and the hissing of escaping gas, and the creaking, flickering crackle of fire. He bolted, dropping the spare rounds and grabbing MacCready desperately by the collar, dragging him backward and rolling his body beneath him, pressing him to the ground.  
A deafening roar and the car exploded, throwing them hard across the concrete, scraping through skin and shredding fabric, the world heaving violently beneath them. Nate grimaced, pushing himself up onto his elbows, and to his feet, and span to face the onslaught. MacCready already had his rifle cocked, teeth bared, veins throbbing in his neck, spittle flying from his mouth.  
  
"Get some, you _big green son-of-a-bitch_!"  
  
His rifle cracked, and the second mutant dropped, thudding heavily to the ground. Another followed close behind, and another, and a huge muscled beast leaped at them, jaws wide and eyes wild. MacCready fired steadily, pressed to the ground, sharp pain gnawing at his ribs, air hissing through his teeth, bullets snapping into the chamber one after another, and Nate screamed, slamming his heel hard into the hound's throat, jamming his rifle into its neck as it snapped and slavered at his shins, and pulled the trigger, blood spraying across him and mottling the pavement with gore.  
The last mutant managed one more round,whistling past him into the chassis of another car, and Nate threw himself to the floor, elbowing MacCready's chest down hard, flinging his arms up around his head. A second car exploded, and a third, a deadly set of atomic dominoes sending hunks of hot metal screaming through the air. MacCready rolled into a ball, covering his wound, howling gutturally at the pain, and Nate grabbed his shoulder, hanging tight. A chunk of tailgate crashed down beside them, spraying an eruption of earth where it landed, and then the sound of cracking metal, and the smell of hot oil and sulphur, tarmac, blood. The two men lay curled tight, for another moment, as the battlefield shuddered to a halt.  
  
The world fell still.  
  
Nate rolled onto his back, chest heaving, air slamming in and out of his lungs faster than light, MacCready gritted his teeth and pulled himself upright with a yell, propping himself over a railing by the roadside.  
“Holy. Fucking. Jesus.” Nate sighed, rolling to his feet. He staggered to MacCready, hauling his pack from his shoulder.  
  
“Where'd he get you? Mac? _Mac_ , hey, where'd he hit you?”  
MacCready's eyes unfocused, rolling loosely in his sockets as his body tried to black out. Nate slapped him hard across the face, the dry smack of his palm echoing dully against the concrete.  
“MacCready, stay with me. Mac- Bobby, you dipshit stay with me. Come on, man.”  
MacCready nodded, squaring his eyes with Nate, grasping the man's arm with cold, shaking fingers.  
“S'my... my ribs. I'll be... okay... you... any bandages?”  
  
Nate nodded, already unwinding them around his fist.  
“Stretch up for me, Bobby, I need that arm out of the way. That's it, up high.”  
  
Nate ducked under MacCready's arm, letting him hang around his shoulder. The leather of MacCready's jacket chafed against the raw skin from Nate's jaw, grazed deep and still speckled with gravel, and he hissed a curse, spitting blood across his arm. He peeled MacCready's shirt up and over his ribs, carefully pulling the fabric from the wound, soaked in blood. MacCready cried out, and Nate winced. The bone was shattered, tiny porcelain fragments jamming out of the skin and a chunk of flesh missing, dark blood pooling in its absence. Nate spotted the dull surface of a bullet, lodged below the shattered bone, just shy of too deep to retrieve. Nate sucked his bottom lip, thinking fast. He tugged a screwdriver from his pack, and looked at MacCready.  
  
“Okay, I'm gonna get this out, Bobby. It's gonna hurt. It's really gonna hurt. Y'understand?”  
  
MacCready sobbed once, turning his head away, bracing himself against the railing, and rested his teeth against the thick leather of his jacket shoulder. He nodded, and Nate buried the tip of the screwdriver into his side, saying _easy, easy, almost there;_ MacCready bit down hard on his shoulder and screamed into the leather, sweat and salt-tears dripping down his face, sharp metal wriggling underneath the bullet, prying it free. It landed with a wet clink on the floor. MacCready shuddered, bile rising in his throat, but kept it down, and Nate slid the bandages around his tight midsection, hands working gently to keep the pressure and stop the bleeding.  
  
MacCready mumbled something half conscious, and his head lolled heavily to one side. Nate tapped his cheek gently with his open palm. MacCready nodded, eyes fluttering to stay open, and Nate pulled a stimpak from his pack, pulling the cover off the needle with his teeth.  
“Okay, almost done. You're gonna be okay, y'hear me?”  
  
MacCready nodded again, staring hazily at the stimpak. Nate pushed the needle up into the join of his shoulder, and MacCready jittered, struggling and almost dislodging it. Nate pressed his arm down heavily across MacCready's chest, pinning him steady until the shot was in his bloodstream. A few moments passed, and his eyes refocused. They sat, still, watching the colour gradually wash back into his skin. Nate sighed, sweeping his hand through his hair and letting his shoulders drop.  
“Christ Mac, I thought you were a goner there.”  
MacCready shook his head slowly.  
“Everything hurts way too much for that.”  
  
Nate laughed, and breathed deeply. He looked at, MacCready, and the merc shrugged one shoulder. Nate stared at him, then leaned in suddenly, pressing MacCready's face firmly between his hands, and planting a slow, heavy kiss on his small, stunned mouth. Nate's breath was hot through his nostrils, against the cooling sweat on MacCready's top lip, and MacCready froze. Nate pushed tight against him, his lips parted slightly, his mouth warm and hollow. MacCready swallowed nervously, leaning his hand on Nate's shoulder. Nate pulled back, slapped his cheek lightly and swatted his cap from the top of his head, pointing at the bandages around his middle.  
  
“You, you little shit, don't fucking do that to me again.”  
  
  
  


 


	6. On A Falling Tear - Nate and his Dog being the goodest of boys - Safe

Watery sunlight washed softly across the cool sky, the horizon painted with faded pink and grey-blue as the distant sun set. Nate crossed the bridge out of sanctuary, the dog trotting close behind, footsteps padding quickly on the chipped concrete, headed along the road north-west. He'd left the town in quiet contemplation, calling the dog to his side, and dropping something into his pocket. Codsworth buzzed nervously around him as he closed the door to their home, and Nate asked him to stay behind and keep an eye on the newcomers. Codsworth understood. He was growing accustomed to his master's silence on personal matters.

Nate climbed the hill quietly, hands in his pockets. His skin chilled in the early evening, but he was deep in thought, barely noticing, turning the small gold band in his pocket between his fingers as he approached the fence. The breeze was rich with the smell of oil and rust, the trees rustling dryly behind the chainlink.  
  
He stopped just inside the fence, taking a deep breath, closing his eyes, then stepped carefully through the rubble, and the dog followed, ears flat and belly close to the ground. He could sense something uneasy in the man's gait, in his breathing, in his cold, sharp sweat. Nate stopped, staring at a small mound of grey earth, and the dog sniffed at it curiously, then looked up at the man. Nate stood still, his heart thudding slowly, heavily, in his chest. Silhouetted against the pale sky. The wind sighed softly, whispering through his hair, flicking it against his brow. He shut his eyes, pinching back tears, the memory resting heavily on him; delicate fingers playing in the long strands at his crown, thumb resting on his temple, warm words pressed into his throat. He swallowed, scuffing his boots in the mud, and lowered himself to the ground, hunching down, his knees buried in the earth.  
  
“Happy Anniversary, honey.” He choked, his voice trembling. “I love you.”  
  
He took the ring from his pocket, rubbing his thumb around the edge of the band, small circles of cold metal, and warm skin, and hope, and grief, and every fucking thing he'd let slip through his fingers. He exhaled, slowly, until there was nothing left, his chest buckled and he swallowed a sob, burying his face in his other hand as the tears built up in his eyes.  
  
“I _fucking_ _love_ you.”

He kissed the metal and pressed it, slowly, into the deep earth, up to his knuckles, to his palm, to his wrist, until he couldn't push further. He let go, pulling his hand away slowly, and smoothed the soil back over. He wiped his hand on his jeans, a thick smudge of dirt clinging to him. The hot thread of a tear wound its way across his cold skin, the salt water sticky as it dried in the breeze, and he shivered, staring at the earth.  
  
The dog nuzzled him roughly, nudging his way under Nate's arm, and lapped his thick tongue against Nate's cheek. Stared a moment. Nate flinched and wiped his face absently with the back of his hand. The dog lapped again. And again. And again, nudging and pawing the man's arm, whining softly, pressing his weight against the man's chest, until Nate lost balance and laughed, fat, warm tears spilling out of him. The dog looked at Nate, head cocked and tail wagging gently.  
Nate took a deep breath.  
  
“Hey buddy.”  
  
He ruffled the dog's coat, rubbing his fingers hard beneath the thick fur of the animal's ears. The dog inched forward, knocking the top of his head against Nate's chin, wet with tears, and the man recoiled with a smile.  
  
“Thanks.” He sighed. “Love you too.”

 


	7. To Shut Them Up - Deacon/Piper - Sexy

"So Piper," Deacon snickered, rolling his sleeves higher and wiping his brow, "you get around to riding his Red Rocket yet?"  
  
"Excuse me?!"  
  
Piper dropped her work and spun to face him, a bucket of mutfruit spilling across the floor. She squatted to tidy them back together, glaring at him. Deacon nodded towards the figure in the distance; Nate, balancing carefully on the roof of a house, threading wires through the ceiling, with Nick unwinding the cables steadily below him.  
  
"You know, fiddling with his fusion core; playing "Giddyup, Buttercup"; getting his radioactive glan– wait that one doesn't work."  
Piper made a noise of disgust in her throat, and Deacon laughed.  
"What?" he shrugged his shoulders, "Just asking. You been looking at him like you wanna eat him up - gently, of course, one little bit at a time. Either you're turning feral, or you wanna..."  
He gestured lewdly with his hands, and Piper rolled her eyes.  
"You're disgusting."  
Deacon grinned at her, leaning close to her shoulder. "Bit of a show off, isn't he, with that jumpsuit and those tightey-whiteys."

Piper inhaled slowly through her nose, desperately trying not to blush, her eyes fixed dead ahead on the fenceposts around the little plot of farmland. Deacon jabbed her lightly in the side;

"Come on, he's not looking, get an eyeful. I won't tell him. Look! Quick! He's taking his shirt o-"  
Piper snapped her head up, almost involuntarily, and Deacon erupted into laughter, smacking his thigh flatly and creasing in the middle.  
"You are too _easy,_ girl."  
Piper flushed, "Yeah, well I give as good as I get, baldy."  
"Oh no," He said, a deadpan monotone, "my one weakness; insults about my hair."  
Piper stood up and dusted her knees off, adjusting her cap.  
"Mmhmm. Must make you awfully jealous, travelling with a guy with such thick, _lustrous, shining_ hair." She furrowed her brow, "Oh, c'mere, you got somethin'..."

She leaned forward, and before he had chance to stop her, she licked her thumb and rubbed it wetly on deacon's head, skin squeaking together, and he shuddered and flapped his arms, batting her away. She laughed, and he pulled the bottom of his shirt up over his head to wipe at the wet spot. He looked at her, his mouth hanging open in horror.  
" _That?_ That was disgusting."  
Piper winked.  
"Anyway," she jerked her head at him, "you seem to spend an awful lot of time looking at his ass yourself. I'm betting you're only standing here ribbing _me_ about it because you're too scared to get close to anyone. You don't fool everyone with that wise-ass loner bit."  
Deacon mimed being punched in the gut, curling and griping his stomach, pursing his lips and exhaling heavily, then adjusted his shades.  
"Ouch. And here I thought we were having some friendly, flirtatious fun."  
"That was _flirtatious_?" Piper raised her eyebrow and leaned heavily on one hip, smiling wryly.  
"Well, it coulda been. If you'd been into it. Should I try again later?" he smirked, "You need me to put the wig on? I can go put the wig on."  
  
Piper scrunched her mouth up in mock thought, tapping one finger against her lips. "Hmm. Maybe. Maybe the suit, too."  
"Of course," Deacon laughed, nodding. "That's obviously integral to the fantasy."  
She raised her eyebrow. "Y'think you can convince him out of it?"  
"Before you can. I'd put caps on it."

*  
  
Two days later, as the sun set between the houses, Deacon walked proudly through the doors of the bar-shack-flophouse in Sanctuary Hills. Boots gleaming, shades flashing, teeth glinting in the bare light, he swaggered up the stairs to the bar room and stood, hands on hips, in front of Piper, the bright, blue fabric of the vault suit practically shining in the dingy room. Piper snorted and set her beer down on the table, her mouth open, laughing incredulously and rubbing her eyes.  
"You sly dog, you actually did it?"  
"Sure did." He raised his arms and turned a slow circle in the middle of the room. "Whaddya think? Does it make _my_ ass look that good?"  
He pulled up a chair beside her, and she offered him a beer.  
"Hell, Deacon, I'm impressed."  
He opened the bottle on the edge of the table, took a swig, and grinned. "Don't say I never do anything for you. See, I even wore the wig."  
  
He smoothed his hand through the crest of the fake pompadour, mimicking Nate, and Piper's cheeks flushed pink. She swallowed a mouthful of beer, holding the bottle to her mouth a little too long.  
"Too much?" He asked, grinning, "You're _sweating,_ Piper. Am I making you nervous?"  
He touched her knee under the table and she rolled her eyes, shuffling away.  
"Ugh, gimme a break."  
He leaned in closer, stage whispering across the table.  
"What's the matter? Are you worried he'll catch you thinking all those nasty things about him? Or are you worried that he'll catch you thinking those nasty things about _me,_ dressed as him?"  
Piper gritted her teeth and barked quietly; " _Deacon!_ "  
  
He leaned back laughing and took another mouthful of beer.  
"Like I said, _too easy._ He's not even here, don't get your knickers knotted up like that. Speaking of, you won't believe what else he let me borrow."  
He pointed at his crotch with both hands, Piper looked mortified.  
"They're a little snug, but we can't all be blessed wi-"  
Piper held her hand up abruptly. "Stop. Right there. Stop. I don't wanna hear it.”  
Deacon shrugged. “I was just saying...”  
“Yeah, well, please don't.”  
They sat quietly a moment, until Piper's curiosity got the better of her.  
“So how the hell'd you do it?” She asked, leaning back in her chair.  
“That story,” Deacon pointed at the bottles on the table, “requires another beer.”  
  
*  
  
“...and then I said to him, I said, “ _that's_ how you make a birthday cake!””  
Deacon staggered backwards slightly, slurring the punchline a little more than he'd meant to, and they both fell about laughing, full of beer and bright moonlight. He stumbled, and Piper caught his shoulder and righted him, pulling him back onto the pavement; he looked at her, a little stunned, and they laughed harder still, high and hysterical, giggling drunk.  
When they gathered their breath, Deacon slung his arm around her shoulder, pulling her uncomfortably under into his armpit and leaning heavily on her. She wrinkled her nose and laughed to herself.  
“Y'know,” he said, more seriously, “you're pretty great for someone with so many questions.”  
Piper grinned, trying to roll his arm away without tipping him over.  
“Yeah, you're pretty great too, for someone with so many answers.”  
“ _Touch_ _é._ _”_ __  
  
He waved his beer towards the house beside them.  
“I got a question for _you_. You're gonna _love_ it, I just know it.”  
Piper looked at him blankly.  
“What... d'you think he... kisses like?” He pursed his lips and made little kissing noises, then laughed at himself uncontrollably.  
“Oh my _god_ , not this again.” She rolled her eyes and started to walk away, careful to place her feet on the flat concrete, and trailed her hand across the timber of the shack beside them, her balance feeling a little less than stellar.  
“No, I'm serious!” Deacon called, stepping up to her. “You've thought about it, come on, don't pretend. What d'you think he's like.”  
She felt her cheeks turn bright red, and she laughed, turning her face away.  
“ _I_ don't want to talk about _that!”_  
  
“Sure you do,” Deacon clapped her on the shoulder grinning wildly. “ _I_ bet... he's all slow and sensitive, big wet tongue and soft lips, y'know what I mean? Holds your hand instead of grabbing your ass. _Or...”_ he held his breath through a little belch in his chest, “or maybe he's really handsy, maybe he'd get a handful, get right up against you and grind it, y'know, dirty, while he's got his tongue down your throat.”  
  
He did a little action, grinding his hips into the air and wagging his tongue grotesquely. He set himself off into another fit of giggles at that, leaning hard on Piper's shoulder while she stood, eyes wide like a radstag, staring into the night and wishing she hadn't just seen that.  
Deacon leaned in towards her face, bobbing his head side to side and laughing.  
“What do you think, a lot of tongue, or mouth like a cave? Wet or dry? Y'think he... I mean,guy never stops brushing his damned teeth, he must taste pretty good, right? Think he's got the, uh, _oral skills_  to match?”  
Deacon straightened up and looked at her, ruffling her hair with his free hand.  
“C'mon, lighten up. I'm only kidding. Just tell me, get it out of your system; it's not like I'm gonna tell him what you s-”  
  
Piper grabbed his chin, pulled his face roughly into hers and kissed him, her lips hard and cold, opening a little to let her tongue brush into his mouth. Her other hand dug firmly into the back of his neck, hanging her body from his, and he spluttered softly into her mouth, startled, but curiously meeting her tongue with his. She tasted like gum drops. And beer. He dropped his hand to her hip as she softened the kiss, slowly sweeping her tongue around his. She pulled away, pressing her teeth gently into his lip and sending nerves jangling through him. She stepped back and laughed, swigging her beer. Deacon stood speechless, frozen where she'd left him. She sighed, determinedly.  
  
“Like that. Now will you shut up about it?”

 


	8. Desperately - Nate/MacCready - SMUT, oh my god it's smut.

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dirty, kinky, horrible, nasty butt sex. I hate to spoil it but it definitely needs a serious content note for Daddy Issues and spanking and all kinds of hardcore stuff ahead. It's a long one. I'm sorry, Mac, I love you really.

The door opened with a loud crack. Nate rolled back around the door frame, knife in hand, and MacCready steadied his rifle at the dark doorway. They waited. A moment more. Nothing. Nate crouched and stepped cautiously into the house, MacCready shadowing him, pressed against the wall, eyes darting around the dark corners of the hallway. Quiet dust greeted them, settled on everything and disturbed for the first time in centuries by their entrance. Nate nodded at the stairs, Mac stepped quietly up to check the upper floor. Nate crept first into the kitchen, then the parlour, on to the small alcove at the side of the house – a study, it seemed, mouldered books on the shelves and soft scattered papers across the desk.  
  
“Clear!” He called, his voice echoing damply through the house.  
“Yeah, we're good up here.” MacCready's reply from upstairs.  
  
Nate sauntered through to the parlour, as Mac trotted down the stairs, and looked around properly, flicking the light on his pip-boy, bathing everything in sallow green light. It was strange to him, how accustomed he'd become to this kind of suburban desolation. How quickly he'd stopped feeling the fear and grief for the old world, how fast he'd learned how to disregard the tiny trappings of other peoples' lives. Every now and again, a small trinket caught him off guard, a child's doll, or a pair of spectacles, once, a set of false teeth still sitting in a glass on the bedside table, but mostly, now, it was a checklist of ruination to pick over for supplies. Fridge, under the sink, bathroom cabinet, dresser drawers, check for a safe or lockbox. It was becoming mundane, sifting through the ashes of other humans and coming up with junk, chems, and maybe a handful of caps.  
  
MacCready rounded the corner with a start.  
“Jeez, Nate, will you turn off that frickin light? Rather be stood in the dark than be glowing up like a damned ghoul. S'not even dark yet.”  
Nate raised his hands apologetically, and flicked it off, leaving them in the half light of the evening. Mac looked around wearily as Nate slung his pack to the floor and rummaged through it for the gas lantern.  
“Hozey on the Davenport.” Nate called.  
MacCready sat down, throwing himself to the sofa, legs splayed across the arm of the chair and head thrown back, and Nate shouted at him, dropping his hands.  
“Hey!”  
Mac looked at him blankly. “What?”  
He waved his arm at the chair. “I said hozey! Dibs! The sofa. I claimed it.”  
“ _Hozey_? What the frick is _hozey_? Or a _Davenport_? Are you even speaking English?”  
Nate scoffed.  
  
“I thought you grew up with a pack of feral kids; you telling me you don't know how to wackie something?” Nate picked up MacCready's legs and the merc laughed, kicking and rolling away; Nate span him on his ass and dropped his feet to the floor.  
MacCready sighed, crossing his ankles. “Can't just call it shotgun like everyone else?”  
Nate shook his head, rolling his eyes.  
“Shotgun is for _cars,_ jackass. Don't you kids know anything?”  
“Look, mungo, I'm not a hundred years old okay?”  
Nate laughed, setting the lamp beside the sofa, and sat down. He leaned on his elbow, lighting a cigarette.  
“Two hundred. Go on, I'll bite, what's mungo?”  
  
MacCready swung his legs up onto Nate's knees, plucked the cigarette from his mouth, and leaned back, cap pulled low over his eyes.  
“Someone like you, old-timer. Old folks who can't keep up.” He paused, lifting his cap to look at Nate. “And by the way, we weren't _feral_ , we were very fu-... fricken civilised. Had us a mayor and everything.”  
Nate began unbuttoning his shirt, tugging his collar one handed, patting MacCready's thigh condescendingly.  
“I've seen what passes for a “mayor” these days. Hat and a frock coat is all it takes. 'fraid that's not enough to convince me.”  
MacCready laughed.  
“I'm gonna tell him you said that. Anyway, McDonough's way worse, what an as-...” He paused, struggling to replace the word.  
“Asshole?” Nate supplied.  
“Yeah, thanks.” MacCready laughed.  
  
MacCready shifted his weight, shuffling down the sofa towards Nate, bending his knees and resting his ass against Nate's thigh, passing him the cigarette back. Nate leaned his hand on MacCready's knee and took a drag.  
“So go on, tell me about this mayor.”  
MacCready grinned under his cap and feigned a casual, wistful voice.  
“Well, he was really smart see, always knew what to do in a crisis. Tough too. Didn't take any shi-... trouble from anyone, really kept the town safe. Sure he was a mean son of a gun sometimes, swore like a trooper too, but you gotta break some eggs, right?”  
“Sounds like an asshole.”  
MacCready laughed, and went on, hands tucked behind his head;  
“And he was pretty good looking, for a ten year old. Sort of... cherubic, but wise beyond his years.”  
“So... what, you had a crush on him?”  
“Oh, no, not me, but most of the older girls thought he was cute. He was a mean shot, really got 'em going, y'know? Teenagers, man, all those hormones and nothing to do with them til Big Town. And the mayor, y'know, had to keep it professional. Couldn't possibly have gotten around to all of 'em, even if he'd known where to put it.”  
MacCready snickered, and Nate looked disgusted, coughing smoke.  
“MacCready, that's awful.”  
“Hey, I was ten, I didn't know any better!”  
  
Nate looked at him, wry disbelief written across his face.  
“You're telling me that _you_ were the mayor? _You_?”  
MacCready laughed and sat up on his elbows. “You better believe it.”  
“ _You_?”  
“Why's that so hard to believe? You bought the rest of it.”  
Nate shook his head, eyebrows raised. “Guess it explains why you're such a little asshole now, huh?”  
“You love it,” he smirked.  
“You're not wrong,” Nate muttered, “I do love your little asshole.”  
  
MacCready laughed and flopped back against the sofa, snapping his knees together and rolling his legs into the air, wiggling his ass playfully. Nate caught his ankles sharply, jerked him further onto his back, holding his legs up; MacCready exclaimed something under his breath, and Nate flicked away the cigarette, holding Mac's legs with one arm, tugging his pants down with his free hand. MacCready laughed loud;  
“Hey! Put me down, you bastard, don't you know who I am? I'm the mayor of Little Lampl...” he curled up and dropped back down, unable to wriggle away. “This is undignified!”  
“Suits you to a tee, then.” Nate ran his thumb down the back of MacCready's thigh, and the merc squirmed.  
“AGH! Stop that, you fucking...” he laughed, “I oughtta-”  
Nate slapped his ass hard, and MacCready jerked and called out, laughing in surprise.  
“ _Robert Joseph MacCready_.” Nate said sternly, “You oughtta get a hiding for that mouth of yours, didn't anyone ever teach you manners?”  
“Fuck you!” MacCready spat, grinning, face reddening as he strained to look at Nate. Nate pressed his knees up towards his chest and slapped his ass again.  
“No respect for your elders, huh? I blame the parents.”  
“You and me both.” His voice was strained, body folded in half, “Maybe I'm just misunderstood, acting out for attention. Poor little me, never knew my parents.” He grinned.  
“Explains a lot.”  
“Like what?” Mac wriggled up on his elbows, staring indignantly at Nate, with his pants still around his knees.  
“Disrespect for authority, lack of moral compass, bratty attitude...” Nate grabbed his ass and squeezed. “Most of all, how you're absolutely crying out for a spanking.”  
  
MacCready groaned thinly, shoulders going weak for a second, and Nate laughed, rolled him to his belly, grabbing his collar roughly and pulling him across his knee.  
“We're doing this? Here? Are you for real?” Mac whimpered, disbelief and desire fighting in his voice. Tugging his shirt up the merc's back, Nate nodded and leaned his elbow heavily between Mac's shoulder blades, pushing him down, bringing his ass up.  
“You fucking pervert.” he laughed.  
Nate lay his hand flat on MacCready's ass cheek, then swatted sharply at his skin.  
“Ow!” He whined into the cushions, and Nate slapped him again.  
“Serves you right, you belligerent little bastard. Think you can talk to me like that.”  
Mac mumbled something, and Nate pulled his hair, jerking his head up.  
“Something to say for yourself?”  
Mac laughed and took a lungful of air.  
“Fuckin' mungo.”  
  
Nate shoved his head down and slapped his ass hard, soft flesh bouncing where he'd made contact. MacCready groaned and tensed his thighs. Nate bit back a smile, lifting his hand and letting the merc stew for a moment; he hovered his hand across MacCready's skin, watching it blossom with little pink blotches, and spanked him again, harder. Mac whined and bucked, Nate trailed his fingers along the sensitive skin; up, and down, the fine hairs on MacCready's thighs standing on end. He drew back quickly and smacked his hand hard against the merc's ass.  
“Oh, sh-shoot!”  
Nate grinned.  
“That's better. You learned your lesson yet?”  
MacCready shook his head, mutely, and flipped him the bird. Nate laughed.  
“That's a shame.” Nate rolled him gently, pushing him to his feet, talking quietly, firmly.  
“Stand up and take your coat off.”  
MacCready shuffled and reached to pull his trousers up, and Nate snapped sternly at him.  
“Keep your pants where they are, I'm not done. Just take off your coat. And your shirt.”  
Mac looked eagerly at Nate, half smiling, showing his teeth, shrugging his coat down his shoulders, and made a little squeak in his throat as Nate unbuckled his belt, sliding it slowly from each loop of his trousers, coiling it around his hand.  
“Oh, Jesus.” he whispered, and Nate grinned.  
“Bend over the table there.” He pointed, unwrapping the leather into a thick, firm length, between his hands.  
  
Nate smoothed a hand up Mac' thigh as he bent down, his skin cool and damp, goosepimples shivering across his skin. He let his fingers trail for a second, then cracked the belt against MacCready's skin, the whistle of the leather and sharp smack as it connected ringing loud in the room. Mac yelped, flinching hard enough to rock the table forward.  
“Oh, _Jesus!_ ”  
“ _Language_ , Bobby.”Nate scolded. “That's the lord's name you're taking.”  
“Holy shit _,_ Nate _._ Holy _shit.”_ His voice trembled, but his dick was hard as he knelt on the cold floor, pressing his exposed belly to the table top. Nate smacked him again, and again, snapping the leather at his soft, pliable flesh, pain rippling from every impact, and his breath caught in his lungs, hitching into little squeaks. He reached to rub the stinging welt, and Nate leaned and caught his hand, bringing it up and placing it flat on the table top. He tapped the table.  
“And the other one.”  
  
MacCready shivered and pressed his palms to the table. The head of his dick bobbed against the underside of the wood, leaving a wet, sticky trail. Nate put his hand on MacCready's crown, pushed his head down between his hands, and cracked the belt again, the blow landing across the back of MacCready's pale thighs. Mac yelled out, high pitched and reflexive, and Nate palmed his own dick through his trousers.  
“You ready to behave yet?”  
“Mmm,” his muffled reply.  
Nate shook his head, stepping over MacCready's legs and running his hand across the merc's ass.  
“You gotta learn your lesson, son. Learn it the hard way if you have to.”  
  
He whipped the belt at the merc's ass again, lighter this time, but the leather still left a hot, stinging line across his skin. MacCready moaned quietly, and Nate dropped to his knees behind him, running a hand up his thighs, the other leaning on the small of his back, belt gripped tight in his fist. He smoothed his finger up the inside of Mac's leg, tracing it up the crack of his ass and skimming over his balls, then swatted hard at the redness crowning his ass cheeks. MacCready rolled his head to the side and shut his eyes. He whispered, grinning.  
“Ah! I'm sorry!”  
“Oh yeah?”  
“Yes. Yes! I'm sorry!”  
“C'mon son, Like you mean it,” Nate smirked, “I've heard Deacon sound more sincere.”  
Another crack with the belt. Mac jerked and pulled his hips tight together.  
"I'm sorry! Oh, _papa_ , I'm so sorry.”  
  
Nate froze, eyes wide. _Had he heard that right?_ A guilty flush settled on his face, and a flash of pleasure pulsed through his belly. Oh shit, _had he heard that right_?  
“What?” He said, voice high and cracking, betraying himself.  
“I'm sorry papa, I'll be good.”  
Nate sighed softly. He rubbed MacCready's ass hesitantly, and MacCready pushed against his hand.  
“You... you gonna... ah shit, Mac, hold on.”  
Nate rocked back on his feet and MacCready sat up, turning to look at him. Their eyes met, and Nate took a short breath.  
“I'm not... Are you sure about... that?” Nate asked, quietly.  
MacCready shrugged dismissively. “I dunno. Seemed like the right thing to say. You wanna give it a try?”  
“ _Right thing to_...” he trailed off. “I dunno. It's a little out of my comfort zone, if you want the god's honest. With, y'know, both of us-”  
MacCready's face reddened and his eyes dropped to the floor.  
“Hey, man, no worries. I just thought... I dunno I kinda... It was just an idea. If you don- uhhh...”  
Nate took the younger man's hip in his hand, pulled him close and kissed his neck, ran his hand into Mac's hair and pulled his head back, hot breath whispering against his skin;  
“Okay. Okay. You want it, we can try. But _not_ at home _,_ okay? And not... not just _“dad”._ Okay?”  
  
MacCready nodded eagerly and a sigh escaped him, tight and high pitched. Nate pushed his head back to the table, placing the belt down beside him, and Mac closed his eyes, breathing slow through his nose. Nate leaned forward to him, kissing the small of his back, and unbuttoned his own pants with shaking hands, pressing against MacCready's ass.  
He mumbled, arching into the table; “...uhh, daddy.”  
_Oh shit._ Nate stomach rolled, balancing on the knife edge between guilt and pleasure; he stroked the side of Mac's face gently, and MacCready cursed under his breath and moaned, his mouth opening softly.  
Nate tutted.  
“You got a dirty mouth, Bobby. You wanna show me how dirty?”  
Nate pushed two fingers between his teeth, and MacCready shook his head, leaving his mouth slack, and Nate sighed.  
“Be a good boy now. Don't make me ask you again.”  
MacCready let his tongue loll from his mouth; Nate bit his lip, tutting again, trying not to laugh.  
“You're just asking for trouble now, aren't you? I think you like it, don't you? You like getting spanked?” He grinned, tried to hide it, whispered, “You're just a dirty little boy who likes getting _punished.”  
  
_He slapped MacCready's ass again on the last word, MacCready writhed and opened his eyes, looking at Nate, nodding, spit pooling in the corner of his mouth, against Nate's hand. Nate swirled his fingers in it and reached down, sliding his wet fingers quickly over MacCready's asshole, cupping his balls, teasing and pulling away.  
“Is this what you want, you little slut? You want someone to touch you?”  
MacCready nodded, arching his back. Nate swallowed, steeled himself for what he was about to say, eyes roaming MacCready's back.  
“You... Do you want to touch _yourself,_ for Papa?”  
“Oh yeah.” MacCready murmured, low and happy in his throat, hands still flat to the table. Nate shivered. _Christ, this is... he looks so good. Jesus he just looks so good._  
“Yes what?” He said sternly, working his palm gently against the head of his own cock.  
“Yes, Papa.” Mac sighed. Nate patted his ass affectionately.  
“Good boy. Sit up, on the table. On your knees.”  
  
Mac scrambled to his feet, grinning and light headed. He knelt on the table and Nate ruffled his hair, pulling him up for a kiss, clasping his fingers under Mac's chin, and MacCready bit playfully at his lip. Nate recoiled and slapped him lightly across the face.  
“Don't push your luck, you little brat.” He dropped his eyes to the merc's crotch. “Be a good boy now and show it to me.”  
Mac straightened up, still grinning, and pushed his hips forward, and Nate admired the merc's hard on, clasping his hips, holding him still.  
“Already got yourself hard for me, huh?” he said, trying to keep a straight face, “Go on, show me what you do with it.”  
MacCready licked the palm of his hand and wrapped it slowly around his dick, reaching over the top, making a tight circle of his thumb and forefinger, closing the head in his wet palm. Nate watched him, and Mac shivered, stroking slowly, slowly, thin, white stomach curling in pleasure. Nate pressed close to MacCready.  
“That feel good, Bobby?” he gulped, air thick in his throat, “You wanna make daddy feel good too?”  
“Yes Papa. Oh, yeah...”  
  
Mac shuffled forward on his knees and closed Nate's dick in his palm, looking up at him and smiling, jerking himself steadily, stroking Nate's cock in time. Nate lifted his shirt up across his belly, and sighed, closing his eyes, Mac's hand gliding around him, pulling his foreskin back and gripping tight. MacCready bent, dropping his hands to the table, and took Nate's dick in his mouth, tongue fluttering and head bobbing. Nate fumbled with the buttons of his shirt, half unfastening it, shrugged it over his head instead, and MacCready swirled his tongue in a slow circle, flicking over the sensitive ridge on the underside of his dick; Nate's body jerked up, and he grabbed the back of Mac's head. MacCready gagged and pulled back, spit spider-webbed between his mouth and Nate's hard cock. He looked up, all puppy-dog eyes and smiling, open mouth.  
“Am I doing it good, papa?” He whispered, his voice small and childlike. “Does it make you have that special feeling?”  
  
Nate coughed uncomfortably, whistling air through his teeth and looking away for a moment, MacCready's mouth closing warm and wet around him again. He shut his eyes, changed his mind, pushed gently against Mac's shoulder and raised his hand, gesturing _hold on_. Mac sat up and wiped his mouth.  
Nate sucked his teeth. “Umm... Can we cool off with the age stuff? I'm not sure I'm... The voice is a little too much for me.”  
MacCready laughed and nodded, face reddening, voice dropping again.  
“Sorry. Sorry. Lost in the moment.”  
Nate nodded and smiled, patted the back of Mac's head affectionately. “Yeah, I got that.”  
  
He pulled up straight, pressing their bodies together, arm around the merc's waist, sweat clammy on the other man's skin. MacCready pushed his dick against Nate's hip, grinding firmly against the soft skin and hard arc of bone, and Nate shifted, curling his hand around MacCready's cock, pulling it against his own and wrapping both of them in his fist. MacCready moaned and shuddered, heat rushing from his dick, and wrapped his arms around Nate's neck, pressing their faces together.  
“Oh papa, you're so hard... uhh, it feels _good_. Real good.”  
Nate hummed softly in Mac's ear.  
“Mmm, you're all wet, MacCready; you like it when I touch you, huh?” MacCready nodded silently, and Nate grinned, “You like daddy's dick against yours? I bet you'd like it in your ass, you filthy little bastard.”  
MacCready threw his head back, laughing and clenching his stomach.  
“Oh please, yeah, I wanna... please, daddy...”  
Nate pulled away, stepped back, letting MacCready's arms fall to his sides. He looked him up and down, for a long moment, heart racing. He nodded.  
“Okay. Get back on your knees for me, Bobby.”  
  
MacCready dropped to the table, quickly flattening his stomach to the warm wood, wriggling his hips in hazy anticipation. Nate licked his fingers, pushing one gently to MacCready's asshole, leaned the heel of his palm against MacCready's ass and stroking gently with his thumb.  
“Ah, Bobby, look at you. Such a good boy for papa, sitting pretty like that.”  
Mac drew his knees together and lifted his ass higher. He rolled his hips as Nate's fingers pushed inside him, and Nate smacked his ass, gently pulling at his skin, spreading him wide. MacCready made a low sound.  
“Oh, fuck, daddy, that feels so good.”  
Nate pulled his hands away, swatting Mac's skin hard with his open hand.  
“What did I tell you about that mouth, Bobby? Gonna get yourself in trouble again.”  
MacCready writhed, laughing, frustrated.  
“Behave, now.”  
Nate's fingers smoothed over his ass again, and Mac purred softly in his hands, grinding back against him.  
“Please, daddy. I wanna feel it.”  
Nate ran one hand into Mac's hair, stroking the back of his head softly.  
“Shh, be patient now.”  
  
Nate's fingers slid slowly inside him again, curling to press at the spot behind his balls, and Mac moaned and bucked against the table. Nate pulled away again, running his nails gently down MacCready's back. He pressed his dick up against the soft, pink hole, and MacCready moaned. Nate pulled away, smiling. MacCready turned to look at him.  
“Stop fucking around and give it to me. _Daddy._ ”  
Nate snorted, sucked his cheeks in to stop a smile.  
“Okay. Okay, you wanna be like that, it can be like that.”  
Nate stood up behind him, kicking his heels apart, and grabbed the belt from the table. MacCready flinched away; Nate laughed and cracked the leather against the back of his thighs, twice, sharply.  
“For flinching.”  
  
He looped the belt into itself, leaning carefully over MacCready's back and lowering it over his head, hooking it around the merc's neck. MacCready's inhaled shakily, Nate slid the loop tight, wrapping the spare leather around his hand, and leaned both hands on the base of MacCready's back. Mac's head snapped upwards and he gasped, taut leather pulling him up in a hard arch of his spine, and Nate leaned close to his ear.  
“You wanna be a bad boy, MacCready, go ahead. And I'll fuck you like one.”  
MacCready whimpered, mouth open wide, and turned his head, trying to kiss Nate. Nate jerked the makeshift leash, pulling Mac's head back, and kept talking.  
“Oh no. Good boys get nice things, Bobby. You're gonna take daddy's cock like the bad little slut you are. Aren't you?”  
  
MacCready nodded, eyes screwed shut, and Nate wrapped a hand underneath his hips, pulling his ass upwards, tugging his dick roughly. Hot bliss rushed through him, and Nate pushed his cock into MacCready's ass.  
“AH! _Shit!_ ” Mac cried out, and Nate dug his fingers into MacCready's hip.  
“Yeah, that's right,” Nate whispered, moving slowly. “Take it for papa; take it all in, that's a good boy.”  
He built his rhythm fast, hips slapping against MacCready's ass as he yanked the belt tight again. MacCready's vision blurred, his mouth gaped wide, air hissing from his cinched throat.  
“Uh! Daddy, it hurts...” Mac whimpered, gripping the edge of the table, knuckles almost white. “Shhh, I know, I know. It'll feel better soon, I promise.”  
  
Nate pressed heavy on the merc's back, pushing long, hard strokes into him. MacCready grit his teeth and groaned, arching his ass in the air and calling out  
for his papa, then tensed suddenly and slapped the table with his open palm, tapping out.  
“Okay, too much!” He coughed, and Nate pulled back quickly, loosening the belt from his throat. Mac slumped to the table, weak kneed and smiling faintly. He lay there a minute, gathering his breath.  
“Sh- shoot, Daddy, that was mean. I'm not used to it like the big boys. Go easy on me, huh?”  
Nate sighed and wrapped his arm around Mac's belly.  
“Okay, why don't you show daddy how it feels good?”  
  
Mac arched gently upwards, Nate sat back on his heels and let MacCready slide into his lap. He kissed comfortingly at the merc's neck, mouth winding up his jaw and under his ear, hand resting on the inside of his thigh. Mac's legs spread wide around him, and Nate dug his teeth into the merc's shoulder as he lowered himself carefully onto Nate's cock. MacCready's breath shivered through his teeth and his head rolled back, leaning on Nate's shoulder and breathing deeply, chest labouring.  
“That's it,” Nate whispered, “good boy, let it in. Mmmhmm, that feels so good, doesn't it? Don't worry, daddy's got y-... _oh, baby,_ daddy's got you.”  
  
MacCready sat heavily in Nate's lap, fingers curled around the edges of the table, eyes shut, rolling his hips, grinding the other man's dick into him. Every small sensation rushed up him like a wave, rippling through his stomach and pouring up through his throat, breath splashing behind his teeth in little gasps and moans, little white buds of foam building at the corners of his mouth. Nate let him ride it slowly, sitting still with his thighs and ass clenched tight. He pulled the merc up straight against his chest and reached around Mac's waist, tugged at his cock, firmly, slowly, and MacCready's body shuddered and clenched. Nate sucked at his pulse, teeth scraping his skin, and lifted his mouth to Mac's ear.  
“Do you like that? Does it feel nice?”  
Mac nodded.  
“Talk to me, Bobby. I wanna hear you. I wanna hear how much you want your papa's dick in you.”  
MacCready threw his head back, shut his eyes.  
“Oh, daddy, it feels _so_ good. Uhhh... makes me feel hot and warm in my belly. _Hnnhh_ , daddy is it meant to... uuh, is it always meant to feel like this?”  
Nate nodded, rubbing his hand up Mac's torso, dragging his fingers over the merc's small, hard nipples.  
“Uh-huh. Feels good when you're a good boy for daddy, doesn't it? Are you a good boy, Bobby?”  
Mac nodded, curling his hand up and back, into Nate's hair.  
“Yes papa.”  
“Let me hear you say it.”  
“I'm a good boy, papa.”  
Nate grunted, pushing up to meet Mac's hips.  
“Whose good boy? Who do you belong to, huh? Lemme hear it.”  
Mac whined and ground down hard. Nate grabbed his hip roughly.  
“You a little slut, MacCready? You letting someone else put it in you? Letting someone else put their nasty dick in my pretty little boy?”  
“Nuh-uh, just you, daddy. I swear.”  
“You sure? Good boys don't give their ass to just anyone, Bobby. You sure you're a good boy?”  
  
Mac nodded, whimpering, a tear escaping down his cheek. Nate wiped it with his thumb, kissed his cheek. Mac turned his head and Nate cupped his jaw with his palm, pulling them together, kissing him deeply, Mac's tongue searching his mouth desperately. They snapped apart and MacCready whispered breathlessly;  
“I'm your good boy, papa, I promise.”  
  
Nate groaned into MacCready's neck and wrapped his arm back around Mac's waist. Mac's breath was short, bursting from his throat in little cries, ecstasy and tension and the hot, raw thud of Nate pounding into him. Nate quickened his hand, jerking Mac fast and hard, and growled high in his throat. Mac moaned, open mouthed, his voice rising.  
“Oh daddy, please, it feels so good. It's... ah! You're gonna... Oh _shit_ papa, I'm gonna come!”  
  
He slammed down and Nate's cock sank deep inside him, his insides pulling tight then quickly letting loose again, hot pleasure shuddering through his body, hands clenched around Nate's thighs. Nate pumped his fist and thin white arcs of cum painted MacCready's chest as the merc curled into his orgasm. Nate rolled him further forward, pushing his face against the table, slamming into his ass, and he caught his bottom lip in his teeth, shutting his eyes. Nate's body tensed and Mac moaned softly beneath him, tears running across his face, voice jumping unevenly in time with Nate's hips.  
“Oh, _fuck_ that was so fucking good... Oh papa, I wanna make you feel good. I wanna make you feel good, oh _god_ I want you to... Oh _shit_ yes! Fuck my _ass_ , daddy, fucking nail your little boy's tight asshole.”  
Nate laughed and slammed into him, gripping his shoulders for leverage and swiping his hair out of his face. His balls knotted up tight and he held his breath; _here it comes, oh shit, oh_ shit, _I've gotta..  
  
“You wanna be my special boy, Bobby?” _his voice was tight in his throat, “ _You wanna be daddy's special little boy_?”  
  
Mac nodded eagerly, and Nate pulled out of him fast, standing up, taking over with his hand.  
“Turn over for me, Bobby, turn over and open your mouth for daddy.”  
  
MacCready knelt quickly, shutting his eyes and opening his mouth. Nate jerked himself off, toes curling and stomach tight, and hooked his hand into MacCready's hair, pulling his face closer. He bit down hard on his bottom lip and pleasure burst through him as he came, cum spilling thickly onto MacCready's outstretched tongue. Nate staggered backwards and wiped his eyes quickly with the crook of his arm, sitting down heavily on the sofa behind him. His knees fell wide apart, and Mac crawled up between them, kissing Nate's stomach, up his chest, climbing onto his knee and straddling him. They looked at one another, quietly, breath still quick and pulses hammering, for a long, weighted moment...   
  
Nate slapped MacCready across the face, connecting flatly with his cheek. Mac recoiled, mouth agape and eyes wide. Nate laughed breathlessly, swiping at his eyes again with the back of his hand, and pulling MacCready's head down to kiss him.  
“For that dirty, cussing mouth of yours.”  
Mac smiled into his mouth as their lips met, and let himself fall onto Nate's chest.  
“You dirty little fuck, MacCready. I never would've... that was pretty great.” Nate laughed.  
“I thought you were the nice guy...” Mac mumbled into his shoulder.  
“ _I_ thought I was the nice guy.”

 


	9. A Promise - Nate/MacCready - Safe, if a little angsty

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> After Bunker Hill, and a confrontation [(here)](https://daddyfuckinlonglegs.tumblr.com/post/187415116376/this-isnt-on-my-ao3-yet-but-if-i-figure-out) with some other companions, MacCready gets news from DC, and makes a tough choice.

 “Hey, uh, Nate? You awake? Can I... talk to you, for a minute?”  
  
Nate rolled to his back, spinning quickly at the sound of MacCready's voice. Piper slept soundly beside him, wrapped up in the sheet and Nate's arm caught beneath her shoulder. Nate shuffled carefully up the bed and slid his hand gently out from under her, careful not to disturb her sleep. He sat up, brushing his hair from his face, smoothing it with his palms, and swung his legs over the edge of the mattress, letting his feet drop to the cold floor.  
  
“Sure,” He cleared his throat groggily, “what is it?”  
  
MacCready's mouth twitched nervously, and he gestured down the hall.  
  
“Can we...”

Nate nodded and wiped his eyes. “Sure. Go on ahead, I'll fix us some coffee. And, uh, put on some pants.”  
  
He smiled, and Mac nodded gratefully, heading through to the parlour. Nate stood up and picked his pants from the end of the bed, rolling them on and stretching his arms wide,yawning. It was dark outside, Nate guessed it must be about one, one-thirty, without looking at his pip-boy; though he hadn't really slept yet, he'd dozed off briefly, and a strange sense of timelessness settled over the house. The small hours sure stretched out, even now, with the power running and working lights in most places, and his sleep cycle was way out of whack.  
  
He took a deep breath and stooped over the bed, pressing his lips gently to Piper's bare shoulder, then wandered to the kitchen, shirtless in the hot summer night. MacCready had set some water boiling on the stove, and Nate shook some coffee grounds into the pan, stirring it with his finger, then setting two tin cups on the counter while the coffee brewed.  
  
“You want a sugar in this?” Nate asked, flipping the lid of a small box beside him.  
  
MacCready nodded, and leaned back against the counter, hoisting himself onto it ass first.  
  
Nate tutted. “Mac, there's a perfectly good-”  
  
“I know, man. I know. I just wanna sit here okay?”  
  
He looked at Nate, his eyes small and tired in the artificial light, and Nate shrugged.  
  
“Suit yourself, son, but don't blame me when you get a sore ass.”  
  
MacCready's mouth curled into a little lopsided smile. “Yeah, you've never had anything to do with that, have you?”  
  
Nate smiled and lifted the pan off the heat, pouring the thin steaming brew into cups, crushing a little chunk of sugar into one cup with his fingers, and sliding it to MacCready. He leaned back against the counter himself, ankles crossed lazily.  
  
“So what's up?”  
  
Mac sipped his coffee and pulled a face.  
  
“This coffee, jeez. I know it's old but... it tastes like the back end of a brahmin.”  
  
Nate laughed. “You're awfully discerning for a man who grew up in a cave. How easy d'you think it is to come by coffee around here?”  
  
He took a mouthful and swilled it around his teeth.  
  
“You're right though. It does taste like ass.” He sighed and cradled the mug to his chest. “C'mon, you woke me up for something, and it wasn't stale coffee. What is it?”  
  
MacCready bit the inside of his lip and looked at the floor, shuffling his feet against the counter. He opened his mouth, then closed it again and sniffed, rubbing his fingers through the short hairs beside his mouth. Nate looked at him, patiently sipping his drink. MacCready pulled a crushed cigarette from his pocket and lit it, inhaling hard and letting the smoke hiss through his teeth in a thin stream.  
  
“I'm gonna head back to DC.”  
  
Nate's stomach sank. He swirled his coffee in the mug, trying to keep his face blank.  
  
“Uh-huh?”  
  
MacCready nodded.  
  
“Heard from the caravan Daisy sent the meds with. They got it to Duncan, he's...” MacCready's voice welled and choked up. “He's gonna be okay if he stays where he is. But... but he might not make the journey. Not for a long while. Doctor there reckons six months before he's on his feet again.”

Nate put his coffee down.  
  
“Shit. That's... that tough news.”  
  
MacCready looked at Nate.  
  
“I can't leave him on his own, man, I can't. I been a sh- a crappy enough dad right from the start, and when Lucy...” He paused, swallowing tears, his lips pressed tight to stop them trembling. “I'm all he's got. I gotta be there. But I'm so fuckin' _scared,_ Nate. What we've got, here, it's... Sanctuary, and the Minutemen, it's... it's a whole other world now. It's a _life._ DC is different. There's nothin' there for me now.”  
  
Nate reached out and rested his hand on MacCready's knee.  
  
“Six months goes faster than you think, Bobby. ”  
  
“Yeah. And a lotta things change too.”  
  
He stared deep into his coffee cup, silent and tight, taking a drag on the cigarette, then spoke quietly.  
  
“What if he doesn't remember me?”  
  
Nate shook his head and slid his arm around MacCready's shoulders, pulling him close. He held his breath in his chest, crushing down a sudden swell of memory – Shaun, ten years old and inside a sterile, glass walled room, panicked and fearful. He held MacCready tight to him, rubbing softly at the merc's neck, and MacCready sank easily into his arms, small, sharp tears running from his face and down Nate's shoulder, cigarette smouldering between his fingers.  
  
Nate stared at the dim lightbulb hanging from the ceiling, and let MacCready sob against his skin. His fingers combed through the hair at MacCready's temple, softly, slowly, and another picture struggled to the surface of his mind. Nate's father, coming into his room early in the morning on Christmas day, when Nate was about four years old; the visceral, animal fear he felt – those footsteps so unfamiliar on the landing, the strong smell of tobacco and paint and brandy when he leaned over Nate's bed to place a gift at his feet.  
  
He shifted his weight, pulling Mac's chin up to look at him.  
  
“Hey. You can't let that thought take hold. You just can't. Gotta work with what you know, Mac, you know that.”  
  
MacCready nodded, apologising softly and wiping his eyes. Nate squeezed his shoulder.  
  
“Nothin' to be sorry for. Just... don't start being your own worst enemy before you've got an idea of where you stand. Look,”  
  
He paused, fumbling for words like loose change,  
  
“I'm... not gonna pretend it won't be tough. It's... look, I never said this before, but when I... when I found... Shaun, in the Institute...”  
  
He hesitated, taking a deep breath.  
  
“He didn't know who the hell I was. He looked at me, and I said his name, and... and he screamed. Screamed for his “ _father”_. Mac, I thought I was dying. It was... like losing him, all over again.”  
  
MacCready looked at him solemnly. Nate sucked his teeth and shook his head, slowly.  
  
“But he's not... that's not how it turned out, y'know? It's more different than I could've imagined, but... what I'm saying is you just can't lose hope. And we both... you and me, well, we turned out okay, didn't we?”  
  
MacCready wiped his mouth and ashed his cigarette, fat chunks of grey dust falling on the counter-top between his knees. He took a drag and looked at the floor.  
  
“I don't want it to be like that for him. I don't want him to grow up without me, I just... I don't think I can do it alone. I'm no good on my own, man. Lucy was everything, kind and honest and not a fu... fricking coward. And you, what the hell are you? Out of the ice and throwing yourself at the commonwealth like a fricking atom bomb. Nothing stops you, man. Nothing stops you.”  
  
Nate raised his eyebrows.  
  
“So, what, crossing the states and risking your life for a “maybe” cure isn't worth a damn? Duncan is alive because of you, Bobby.”  
  
“And what happens after I get there? We stick around DC, dodging mutants every other block and flipping the bird to the Brotherhood, until they tell me Duncan won't ever walk again? Or until I leave everything behind _again_? How many fresh starts does it take to catch a break? I'm sick of moving around. Sick of playing like it doesn't bother me. I'm sick of being _alone._ ”  
  
Nate's chest tightened, a pang of sadness stabbing at his ribs.  
  
“You won't be alone, Bobby.”  
  
MacCready's eyes swelled red with tears, and he wiped his nose with the back of his hand, trying to hold his composure.  
  
“Don't talk to me like a kid, Nate. I've done this before.”  
  
Nate shook his head.  
  
“Not like this.”  
  
Nate pulled him close again, putting his cup down gently and sliding into the space between Mac's knees. Pressed tight to his chest, MacCready leaned into him, wrapping his arms over Nate's shoulders, hands resting between his shoulder blades. Nate kissed his neck, breathing the scent of him, pressing his face into Mac's pulse; kissed the corner of MacCready's jaw, felt the tightness of muscle, his teeth clenched and throat tight; kissed his cheekbone, at his temple, cold salt tears drying sticky against his lips. MacCready's breath hitched, he swallowed.  
  
“I'm sorry, man. I'm sorry. I don't wanna leave you, you know that, right?”  
  
Nate nodded silently against his cheek.  
  
“I don't wanna leave you, you're so caught up in this shit-”  
  
“I know.” Nate sighed “I know.”  
  
MacCready pulled back, his eyes searching Nate's face.  
  
“Everything I do, man, people just see the worst. They hate me, they think I'm just running away all the time, like I'm not terrified of leaving you to deal with it all. Like I ain't scared I'm gonna lose you.”  
  
“You're not gonna lose me.” Nate assured, quietly. “I'm... it'll be harder, without you, but we'll make it. And this?” He gestured around him, “will all be right here, when you get back.”  
  
Mac shook his head. “You don't know that, man, you can't-  
  
Nate shifted his weight, leaning forward and catching MacCready's mouth in a small, desperate kiss, holding him tight, until his breath was ragged and short. Their mouths parted, and Nate ran his hand up across the merc's chest, cupped MacCready's face gently.  
  
“I promise.”

 


	10. Joy - Nate/Piper - Safe

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nate gets back to Diamond City after a while away, and the local news team are glad to see him return. Well, one of them is.

“ _Piper_! Some guy at the door with a half-assed beard and a dog and one of those vault thingies. You want me to grill him, or let him in?”  
  
Nat glared at Nate from under her hand, shielding her eyes from the sun. Nate pressed his lips between his teeth and shook his head, holding back a smile.  
  
“They're called sideburns, you little runt. They don't teach you nothin' at school, do they?” he grinned at her, and she scowled harder.  
  
“Don't need school to know when you need a haircut.”  
  
Nate laughed and she crossed her arms, satisfied.  
  
“Ouch. I'll have you know this hair cut is what you'd call “classic”. “Vintage”, even.”  
  
“Old. Just like you, and your jokes.”  
  
“ _Nat!”_ Piper yelled from upstairs, _“_ Stop being a pain in the ass and let him in.”  
  
Nat sighed. “Open up mister,” she gestured at his jacket, then his rifle, “drop 'em at the door. Got a lot of enemies in this town.”  
  
Nate held his hands up apologetically, dropping his rifle and unfastening his jacket, pulling a small pistol from inside. He looked down at Dogmeat, sat behind his ankles, head tilted quizzically to the side. Nat nodded and stepped back slightly. “Go on in. The dog too. Especially the dog.”  
  
“Y'know,” Nate said, squeezing through the narrow gap in the door, “there's a guy down Goodneighbor, called Ham; you ever met him? You're in the same line of business, you oughtta talk about a partnership.”  
  
Piper hopped down the last two steps as Nat closed the door, bare feet sliding on the floor as she hurried to Nate. She stopped beside him, almost skidding to a halt, Dogmeat barking happily at her approach before settling on the rug by the sofa, and she rushed an apology.  
  
“Ugh, sorry about this little weasel; she's determined to keep the house like a fortress.”  
  
Nate shrugged.  
  
“Didn't you say you got poisoned, once? Seems like maybe she's got a point.”  
  
He winked at Nat, and she cocked her head proudly, then resumed her scowl and sloped off to the bathroom. Nate tallied another point in his head – one day, he'd get on her good side. Not today, but one day.  
  
“So...” Piper looked at Nate, awkwardly flapping her arms at her sides, clapping her hands on her hips. “Whatcha got for me, Blue?”  
  
Nate glanced over her shoulder, checking the coast was clear, and quickly slid his hands around her waist, pushing her back against the lockers on the wall and pressing his mouth to hers in a hurried kiss. She wriggled, one hand bunching the sleeve of his jacket in her fist, the other reaching to his face, pulling him close and holding him tight. Dogmeat whined behind him, and Nate smiled, waving his arm out behind him to hush the canine. Piper whispered against his teeth, breathing heavily, not wanting to break their kiss.  
  
“Oh thank god, Blue, I was starting to-”  
  
He pulled back, meeting her eyes. “Starting to what?”  
  
“Well, y'know, worry. That it's all been a dream or something.”  
  
He leaned closer, smirking, pushing his hips against her and murmuring low.  
  
“A dream? You been dreaming about me, Wright? Thinking about me before bed, getting yourself all worked up?”  
  
Piper rolled her eyes and snorted, cheeks turning pink at the thought.  
  
“ _No._ ” she grinned sheepishy. “Not much anyway.”  
  
The bathroom door opened and they leapt apart, Piper leaning a casual elbow against the locker door, Nate standing back a step, hand in his pocket, and strolling over to pet Dogmeat's eager face. Nat stepped out into the quiet room, and looked around suspiciously.  
  
“I'm gonna go play ball, 'kay?” She glared at Nate. “Don't try anything, mister.”  
  
Nate shook his head. “I'll sit right here on the sofa. You won't have any trouble from me.”  
  
“No kissi-”  
  
Piper cleared her throat noisily. “Why don't you take Dogmeat with you? Sure he'd love to join in.”  
  
Nat looked at the dog, sat licking his paws on the rug, then at Nate, staring him dead in the eye.  
  
“Does he bark when you tell him to?”  
  
Nate shrugged. “Why?”  
  
“Does he? It's important.”  
  
Nate turned and whistled to the dog, clapping his hands. “Hey boy; speak.”  
  
Dogmeat lifted his head, barking and yipping enthusiastically, until Nate clapped his hands again.  
  
“That do?”  
  
Nat's eyes had lit up, bright and twinkling under the ceiling light.  
  
“Perfect.” She announced, staring enthralled at the dog. She looked up at Nate. “Can I take him?”  
  
“Sure. But I'm trusting you, Miss Wright, see he stays out of trouble.”  
  
She smiled, picking up a baseball from the corner, Dogmeat's ears pricking up at the sound of her opening the door. “Got it. C'mon boy.”  
  
Dogmeat stood up, hesitantly, looking around the room, and Nate encouraged him.  
  
“Go on boy. Out you go.”  
  
He stretched his back legs, then cantered up to Nat, nudging her affectionately as he squeezed through the door. Nat giggled, half closing the door behind her, and Piper called out to her.  
  
“Leave Sheng out of it; I mean it Nat!”  
  
The door slammed, shaking the shack wall, and Piper blew a stray strand of hair from her face.  
  
“Well, that's that, then. Rest in Peace, Sheng Kawolski. Poor kid's gonna get eaten.”  
  
Nate smiled, and Piper dumped herself onto the sofa beside him.  
  
“Things any better with that... situation?”  
  
Piper made a face. “Ugh. No. He's _really_ got a crush on her, and last week he sent her a love note. She tried to get me to put an article in the paper, as a response, the headline was “Leave Me Alone Creep-Face, Or I'll Bust Your Nose Again”.”  
  
Nate laughed quietly, running his arm around Piper's shoulders. “Gotta hand it to her, the direct approach is definitely her strong suit. Takes after you, for sure.”  
  
“Just don't tell her that.”  
  
Piper curled into Nate, trying to get comfortable, shoulders squeaking against the leather of his jacket, and she tugged down the zipper, wrinkling her face.  
  
“Can we get you out of this? I wanna get all up close and personal; I wanna be so close I can _smell_ you.”  
  
Nate laughed, wriggling out of his jacket under Piper's hands.  
  
“Trust me, you don't want to smell me right now.”  
  
Piper nudged her way under his arm again, pressing herself against him and tucking her hand into the open collar of his shirt, her chin resting on his shoulder. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath, inhaling through her nose.  
  
“Mmm, grimy.” she teased, picking at his buttons and pressing her nose to his neck.  
  
Nate slid his fingers up into her hair, and she tipped her head back to face him. For a long moment, they sat, still, breathing in the closeness of each other, eyes settling lovingly on the tiny details of their faces – the soft bow of Piper's mouth, the proud, upturned flick of Nate's nose, the splash of freckles beneath her eyes, the steep ridge of his adam's apple, and the shadow around his throat, the little dimples at the corners of her mouth and the way her hair curled messily beneath her chin, framing her face... He took her face in his hand, swiping his thumb gently across her cheek. She smiled and kissed his wrist.  
  
“Never really thought that we'd end up like this...” She stretched to kiss him, he pulled back, holding her shoulder, keeping their distance. He raised his eyebrows condescendingly.  
  
“No kissing, remember?”  
  
Piper snorted and wriggled up to his face, locking her lips with his. His hands trailed slowly down her back, over her hips, and he lowered one hand to her thigh, lifting her leg over his, coaxing her into his lap. She clambered over, settling across his thighs and opening her eyes, but not letting her lips leave his, giggling against his mouth. His mouth opened, pulling her bottom lip gently between his teeth, and she sighed  
  
“God, Blue, I missed you.”

 


	11. To wake up - Piper/Nate - sexy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They like to get it on first thing, alright? I'll pop a link here once I've written the smutty part, because it will get smutty later.

They'd fallen asleep fast, the first night back in Diamond City. They hadn't spoken to anyone, just slipped through the gates and round back of the market, to Nate's place, and through the back entrance. One more night with Ellie wouldn't hurt Nat. They were bone tired, after days on the road, not even speaking as they undressed and fell into bed. Piper wet a rag and wiped her face. Nate slung his pipboy against the pile of clothes he'd shed. The light went out. Darkness. Quiet. Warmth. 

 

The room was bathed in warm, afternoon light by the time either one stirred. Sleep still spread like sugar paste over them, soft and sweet. Nate's arm stretched out along the pillow above Piper's head. Piper's feet twined around Nate's ankles, her fingers rested lightly against the inside of his wrist. Not really awake. Not really wanting to be. It was bliss, really, the first night in forever that they'd had a room to sleep in, let alone the time to properly rest. Or even be alone. She’d missed him, travelling right beside him, but with so many others around them, an almost constant tide of other people needing his attention. And now it was just the two of them, and her heart was almost giddy with the thought. Almost. If it weren’t for the soft, hazy darkness. She shuffled against him, and settled back into warm, pillowy sleep. 

    Nate twitched, grunting quietly in his throat. Piper flinched awake, listened for a moment, almost conscious, but drifting, drifting again slowly… she curled her hand into his palm, and his fingers closed reflexively around hers. He sighed, softly, through his nose. Piper dozed again, wrapped in warmth and warm light, pressing her face into the pillow to preserve the delicate, delicious darkness behind her eyelids. _Not yet. We don't need to do anything yet. Just sleep. Just… sleep._

More of that soft, dreamy blackness. Then Nate's other hand was resting warm against her hip, stroking softly at the curve of her waist with the tip of his thumb. Pulling her gently closer to him, curling his knees up into the space behind hers, slotting them together. Piper shrank into him, just a small shift of her shoulders and hips, and he pressed his lips against her shoulder. Soft. Light. Gentle. Sensation just floating in her mind, almost separate from the real world. 

He squeezed her hand, and her hip, and pushed his body closer again, nudging the back of her ass with his hips. She wriggled against him, and felt the smooth shape of his dick, still soft, but waking with him, in the thin tangle of hair between his thighs. He pushed against her, and she sighed. It just felt good, being wrapped together in the bedsheets, warm bodies, tangled limbs. The way his arms stretched around her. His hand straying up over her stomach, up to cup her breast in his palm, his mouth resting softly at the join of her shoulder and her neck. Their eyes still closed. Their breathing still deep and even. Slow, sleepy movements, wanting each other, but not quite enough to wake and break the spell. 

    And then his hand swept back down to her hip, clasping her tight. His other hand left hers, and brushed her hair back, curling it into a knot and draping it high on the pillow. His mouth traced the nape of her neck. His breath was hot against her skin. Her lips parted in a soft sigh;

“...Nate-”

Her eyes flickered open, and his mouth met hers, his lips soft, his tongue warm and dry from sleep, but god, it was wonderful all the same. The way his teeth taunted her bottom lip, just a hint of pressure, nipping carefully, then pulling her deeper, his tongue rolling against hers. God, how much had she missed this...

    And now she was awake, for sure, his hands gliding over her skin, one of them wriggling underneath her to hold her waist, the other returning to the soft slope of her chest, thumb rolling over her skin, and flicking her nipple lightly. She grasped his hand, pressed it firmly to her breast, his long fingers splayed over her soft flesh, and held him there, inhaling deeply and letting her chest rise into his palm.

He hummed softly against her ear, and kissed her throat.

_“Hey, baby. You sleep okay_?”

 

 

 


End file.
